Another story about an inspiring person as part of the special project «No Excuses». Meet Svetlana Moshkovich, bronze medalist of the Paralympic Games in London. She never thought that she would go in for sports, but after the accident, handbiking became her destiny.
Svetlana Moshkovich is a “sensation” of the 2012 Summer Paralympic Games in London. No one expected from a simple Siberian girl who got on a handbike three years before the Games that she would take bronze. Even Sveta herself did not immediately realize what had happened.
Today Svetlana Moshkovich is one of the leaders of the Russian paracycling team. She represents our country with dignity at prestigious international competitions, dreams of trying on the champion’s jersey and starting a family. Read about this fragile girl with a strong character in our interview.
Chamomile
—Hello, Sveta! I am glad to welcome you to TricksHelper.
—Hello, Nastya! Thank you for the invitation.
—Tell me about your childhood. Where are you from?
— I am a Siberian, born in Krasnoyarsk. I grew up in a good family: mom, dad, older sister. Mom worked as an engineer, then also mastered the profession of an accountant; my father was a civil aviation pilot all his life. My sister is seven years older than me, now she has two wonderful children. My whole family still lives in Krasnoyarsk.
— Sveta, what is the Siberian character?
— It seems to me that no matter where you live, You can still be strong and cheerful. But among Siberians this is somehow more pronounced. They are open and not afraid of difficulties. When I say that I am from Siberia, people a priori perceive me as a person with a tempered character.
— Is this so? Do you have a strong character?
Before the accident, many considered me a “daisy.”
A diligent girl under the wing of her mother, father, and then a young man who was older than me. Those around me were afraid that I would not be able to cope with the difficult situation in which I found myself. But, on the contrary, she strengthened me. Now the fighting qualities developed then are very useful in sports.
Svetlana Moshkovich: “Many considered me a 'daisy'”
“I'll think about it tomorrow”
— How did the car accident happen?
—This was almost 10 years ago. I was then a fifth-year student at the Krasnoyarsk Pedagogical University, where I entered Foreign Languages after school.
— Did you want to become a teacher?
— As a child, I had a lot of ideas about my future profession: I wanted to become both a lawyer and a flight attendant… By the way, as a student, I worked part-time as a flight attendant during the summer holidays.
But I never thought that I would go in for sports.
I was looking for myself, but I wanted to become a translator more than a teacher, because I was always attracted to travel.
—Even though one of them ended tragically?
— Yes… In November 2004, five of my friends and I were returning from Khakassia to Krasnoyarsk. On the ice, the car lost control… As I was later told, we somersaulted 60 meters, flying down the slope. Two died, including my friend. I had serious injuries, the others suffered less.
The accident became a real test of my character. The injury and death of a friend – many were afraid that I would not get out of this situation.
But I solved problems as they came. The phrase from “Gone with the Wind” kept spinning in my head: “I’ll think about it tomorrow.” I realized that the main thing for me was to fight for life and recover from injury. There is no time for mourning thoughts.
Svetlana Moshkovich: “After the accident, I was not left alone with myself”
— What helped not to break?
— Most likely, who. My parents, my mother, were always there. Friends helped.
In addition, I was not left alone with myself, I was constantly on the move. I was finishing my studies, I had to defend my thesis and pass exams. Plus the first four years after the injury – this was a time of active rehabilitation.
– What was it?
— I was practically not at home. First I went to Novokuznetsk to a rehabilitation center, then, having learned about other opportunities there, to Krasnoyarsk, Samara… During this time I went through four operations.
I was lucky enough to have the last one in Germany, a trip where my world turned upside down.
—Why?
—After the operation, I was able to appreciate how suitable this country is for people in wheelchairs. For the first time in four years I rode a bus! Now low-floor buses are appearing in Moscow, Krasnoyarsk, and other cities, but then, in 2008, this was not the case. I got on the bus and drove around the city.
The smile never left my face – I felt equal and free!
Of course, I wanted to stay in Germany. Therefore, a year later I returned again and entered the Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf. At first I went back to linguistics, but now I want to change the direction of my studies. I would like to know sports not only as a practitioner, but also from a theoretical point of view.
Freedom is in your hands!
— As far as I know, it was during rehabilitation in Germany that you first got on a handbike?
— Yes. The first test took place in 2008, during recovery from surgery. At the rehabilitation center where I was, I met local wheelchair users who were just doing handbikes.
When I first saw them, I was amazed. They were so different from those around them: strong, fit, open, smiling. Their eyes were burning! It was clear that they took care of themselves and enjoyed life.
We met, and they offered me a ride on a handbike.
I remember my first ride. I drove about 20 kilometers, and I was exhausted quite quickly—the guys were pushing me back, I had no strength left to pedal. But I was happy. I realized that this is a sport that can help me in rehabilitation, it trains endurance and heals the body. Plus, it gives you freedom! 20 kilometers by wheelchair —it was unthinkable for me. And in a handbike you can easily overcome them, enjoying nature.
Handbike is freedom and health!
— Since then did training begin?
— Training began a year later, when I came to Germany to study. The guys with whom I became friends on my last visit assembled my first handbike for me.
—Have you assembled it?
— Yes. 🙂 They understood that I had no money, and this equipment was expensive (a new bike costs from €5,000, a used bike –from €1,500), since in fact a handbike is made individually for each athlete, according to his parameters . But the guys helped as best they could: they assembled a bike for me from old parts. I started training.
And two weeks later I registered for the Heidelberg marathon. I didn’t apply for any prizes, I just decided to participate. On your homemade handbike, borrowing a helmet from a friends child.
One of the conditions of this race is to complete the half marathon (that is, the first lap, 21 kilometers) in no more than 1.5 hours. I got it done.
The total time I had was 2 hours 20 minutes. But for me it was an achievement just to cross the finish line at all. This became an incentive to train further.
Two years later, at the same marathon, I improved my time by almost an hour.
Bronze with a golden tint
— And a year later, I brought bronze from London?
—Yes, but I didn’t expect it myself. I started training three years before the Paralympics, from scratch. If someone had told me back in 2011 that I would win a medal, I would not have believed it.
Although I trained very hard, got into the Russian national team, started going to training camps, international competitions, and was third and fourth in them. Looking at my competitors, I understood that there were chances for success in London, but I still couldn’t imagine that I would become a bronze medalist.
— How do you feel when a medal is awarded to you?
—This cannot be conveyed! Goosebumps, a smile on your face, tears in your eyes. You understand that you did everything in your power and gave joy not only to yourself, but also to your coaches, loved ones, and the whole country.
Svetlana Moshkovich – bronze medalist of the Paralympic Games in London
—Are you a patriot?
— I am proud that I am Russian, and I want to see the flag of my country in the center of the pedestal. It is doubly pleasant that our paracycling team was able to achieve respect at the world level. In Moscow, paracycling was born from scratch on the basis of the FSO “Youth of Moscow”, as well as with the help of the OJSC “Research and Production Corporation “Uralvagonzavod””. They greatly helped in the development of paracycling, it was thanks to them that the Armada team appeared. At first we didn’t know anything, we didn’t have the best technology.
We came to competitions, and no one took us seriously.
< p>After my victory, the victories of Alexey Obydennov and other guys, the Russian paracycling team began to be considered.
— Is the state helping you?
— Yes, otherwise we would not have been able to achieve success. Thanks to the support of sponsors and the state, we can buy equipment, go to training camps, and train.
—Then why in Russia many people still don’t know the word “handbike”?
— The fact is that in Europe handbiking is a mass sport. There are a lot of races, if you participate in each one, you can make about 60 starts in a season. Some races have more than 200 participants, which means that many engage in handbiking not out of sporting ambitions, but for themselves. There are roads there, people have the opportunity to buy a bike. Who in Russia can afford to buy such expensive equipment to retire a disabled person?
We have a different system: first you start showing results, then, once you get into the national team, you can already count on state support. But you have to start somewhere…
— Sveta, can you advise anyone who reads your interview and is excited about the idea of trying handbiking?
— The most important thing is to have a desire. Contact various public and commercial organizations, perhaps someone will help you buy a bicycle. In addition, we have so many “Kulibins” in our country. To begin with, you can try to assemble a handbike on your own, like I once did. Finally, on the basis of the FSO “Youth of Moscow”, a Paralympic cycling department has been opened at the cycling track in Krylatskoye, where my coach Alexey Evgenievich Chunosov works, where you can try your hand at a handbike. Now the handbiker movement in Russia is just emerging (guys started gathering in Gorky Park, they even organized a bike ride this spring), but you can already find like-minded people who will help develop.
Svetlana Moshkovich: “I want to try on the champion’s jersey!”
Everything for the sake of a goal
— Sveta, you are always at training camps and competitions. Do you still have time for your personal life?
— Athletes have a bit of a gypsy life. When we were preparing for the London Paralympics, I was at home for only four weeks in six months. But I even like to be constantly on the move. The day is scheduled literally minute by minute: two or three workouts a day, a routine. Constant fees.
So regarding personal life, there is practically no time for it. Sometimes I go out somewhere with friends.
— All for the sake of Rio?
— Everything in order: now I’m preparing for the World Cup (it will be at the end of July), then, in August, the World Championship. Good performances at these competitions, as well as at competitions next year, will allow us to obtain a license for the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro 2016.
I really want to try it on myself champion's jersey!
—Champion's jersey?
— The Champion's Jersey is a prestigious prize awarded to an athlete who has become a world champion. It is issued by the International Cycling Union, it has five colored stripes according to the number of continents, like the five rings at the Olympics. Every cyclist dreams of one of these.
—And I thought the main dream was Paralympic gold…
—You’re right. Mike wants to, but the main goal of my life, my motivation, is the title of Paralympic champion. It is in order to take a new step towards this dream of mine that I get up every morning, go to training, and endure fatigue.
—Sveta, what about the family?
—Of course, I dream of a family and children. But I believe that a woman should be the keeper of the hearth, and with my constant travel, I would hardly be able to create family comfort. Therefore, for now, sport is a priority. I want to give my 200% so that future children do not need anything and are proud of their mother.
Sveta is a champion, athlete and just a beautiful girl
— Our project is called “No Excuses.” What does it mean to not look for any excuses for Svetlana Moshkovich?
—Whining and looking for indulgences is not constructive. It is more rational to spend time searching for your path. And if you get any chance, you need to exhaust it “to the bottom”, based on the available opportunities.
— Sveta, do you have one last wish for the readers of TricksHelper?
Enjoy every day. Set goals to understand why you live. We all have gloomy days, but if you wake up in the morning and know that you have a goal, you can overcome all difficulties. Therefore, do not stop striving to take small steps towards your goal every day.
—Wonderful words! Svetlana, thank you for the interview!
—Thank you, Nastya!
